My dog’s snoring – I’ll ring 999 for help

Incredibly, for some people the answer was to dial 999 and ask for police help. And the bizarre calls to officers don’t end there.

People have called the emergency number for ‘problems’ such as a broken freezer (which was still under warranty), a missing packet of rice from a cupboard and for advice on a mobile phone contract.

But there is a serious side to these calls. People ringing 999 for the wrong reasons could be putting lives at risk by taking call-handlers’ time away from genuine emergency calls.

Chief Insp Michael Quirk said: “These calls are so ridiculous it’s astonishing listening to them. But they hide a serious truth. Each call often takes minutes to deal with as our staff have to clarify the situation. It might not sound like much, but if someone is trying to report a genuine life or death emergency, then a minute is a very long time to wait.

“The 999 number is for emergencies only.”

For guidance, this is defined as: When there is likely to be: danger to life; use or immediate threat of violence; serious injury to a person; and/or serious damage to property.